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Tyler Patron advanced through wrestlebacks and remains in contention for a third place state finish where he will face Wyatt Richardson, the only wrestler Patron has lost to in St. Paul. Photos by Mike Vosburg/Forum News Service

ST. PAUL — No. 2A 195-pounder Tyler Patron (35-4), of New York Mills, could not get passed No. 8A Wyatt Richardson twice, but Patron managed an impressive fourth place finish at the Minnesota Class A state wrestling tournament.

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Patron lost two matches in St. Paul, both to Richardson of Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ostrander/Kingsland. Richardson won their second meeting by fall at 1:52 to secure third place. Richardson sent Patron to wrestlebacks from the championship quarterfinals by a 2-1 decision.

Patron defeated unranked fellow Section 6 wrestler Hunter Fick (37-8) of West Central Area 6-3 for a berth in the third place match. The win was the first match Patron had out of five that finished with a point-spread of more than one or two points.

Patron defeated No. 3A Lucas Etchason of Triton 3-2 to advance to face Fick and beat Pierz senior Ryley Smude by decision 7-5 in his first wrestleback match Friday night after opening the day with a win over Chase Norton of Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg in a 2-1 decision.

Richardson lost in the championship semis to eventual state champion No. 1A Nathan Rose of Sibley East 9-1 and defeated Jake Denn of Madelia/Truman/Martin Luther by fall (3:54) in the other consolation semi.

Frazee ends with wins

The state tournament was not kind to Frazee the first two days of competition. Seeded No. 2 as a team in Class 1A, the Hornets fell in the second round and lost the third-place dual

33-32 to a Jackson County Central team that had beaten them in the 2010 and 2013 team final, along with tying them in the 2011 championship.

Friday, the Hornets had none of their six individual qualifiers make it through the day in the championship bracket, including Tanner Reetz – ranked third at 113 pounds – who had to forfeit before wrestling for not making weight.

“We worked really hard to get here,” Skillings said. “It’s nice to see people placing.”

5 area wrestlers take 3rd

After Breckenridge-Campbell-Tintah senior Conrad Kondos lost in the first round of last season’s Class 1A individual state tournament, he sat in the crowd and rooted for his opponent to lose in the next round, so he wouldn’t have to wrestle again.

Saturday, after losing in the first round of the championship bracket on Friday, he won his fourth match at the state tournament to come back and finish third at 120 pounds in Class 1A.

“I wasn’t happy with myself after last season, so I knew I couldn’t do that again this season,” Kondos said. “Wrestling is life, and in life when you get knocked down you have to keep going. There was no next year this year.”